Better than Iron Man 2, but not better than Iron Man 1. Has the best action out of the three. I liked it, but it had too much comedy IMO and the twist threw me for a loop. After the build up for the trailers, the Mandarin revealed as an actor felt like a total cop out. Killian calling himself the Mandarin at the end almost made up for it, but I felt deflated.

The final action scene was great!

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First of all, I must say that some of the negative reviews from this forum had me a bit concerned, although I saw it as a good sign because it means the movie probably challenged some conventional wisdom, but I went in with some lowered expectation nevertheless. What I saw was indeed a bold storytelling when it comes to Tony Stark, and even with jokes and comic relief to lighten the mood when it gets too dark, they did not lesser the drama and high stakes that lies beneath the surface throughout the film.

Let me first address the elephant in the room: the Mandarin twist. Quite frankly, I like it quite a bit, because it works within the context of the movie. I also don't believe The Mandarin to be some kind of sacred character that could never be changed or mocked. Mandarin is a character that was created using negative Chinese stereotypes, and I don't have any love for this villain, however significant he may be to some people. His position as an arch-rival of Tony Stark speaks volume of how weak Iron Man's rogue gallery is, and I think Killian is a much better villain by comparison.

However, I do have a problem with the execution of this twist. I believe that they should proceed with the fact that Mandarin was just a decoy and a front used by Killian to wield his own terror campaign vs USA, but Shane Black should not have reveal him to be a coward and a weakling. If this "Mandarin" had turned out to be an AIM soldier with Extremis inside his body, but after killing him both Stark and Rhodey discovered that Killian was the real mastermind, it would've made the whole thing go down better, and it would've at least appeased some disgruntled fanboys, as well, even if he doesn't have alien rings. But it ultimately is a minor complain and didn't affect my enjoyment of the movie.

This movie is blessed with many great supporting roles, namely Paltrows' Pepper Potts (imo her best outing in the trilogy), Pearce as Killian, and Favearu as Happy. But RDJ truly shined in this movie and brought his A-game with him. My biggest praise for IM3 has to do with the fact that Shane Black totally focused on the fact that Stark is a "mechanic", which doesn't sound as great as a creator or an innovator but it is refreshing to see Stark using his wits and intelligance to craft weapons in the darkest times, without the comfort of his own workshop. Someone describe the movie as having the scene in which Stark created Mark I in the cave with a box of scraps and extended it to two hours, and I agree with this assessment. Bruce Wayne may have detective skills, but Tony Stark can build his own weapons and MacGuyver his way out of just about any situation.

My favorite scene has to be the Malibu attack, because it shows that Stark really cares deeply about Potts, and willing to save her instead of himself. It is also a treat to see Potts suits up in Mark 42, although I'd love to see Stark give her a new suit with her name on it (Rescue!). Rhodey was great and more comfortable as Col. Rhodey the second time around, although sadly his IP armor wasn't used as much, but then again other suits weren't, either.

My biggest gripe, aside from the characterization of Mandarin, is the fact that Tony Stark had the shrapnel removed from his vein at the end of the movie. I think it completely trivialized Stark's predicament in IM2, when he was being poisoned by the arc reactor in his chest and was in a life-or-death situation. If the procedure was that easy, wouldn't he had done it earlier and save himself all those trouble? I also love the Arc Reactor on his chest, because it reminds him of his experience back as a POW, and the removal of it seemed to made Stark less tragic. I wonder if Favearu ever tried to talk Shane Black out of shooting that scene, because I believe Black probably did it on his own. For this, I have to subtract a whole point from my score.

So in conclusion, except for a couple of things that I dislike about this movie, I found it to be a worthy ending for the IM trilogy. However, I believe Tony Stark will be back in Avengers 2 and build a new suit for it, so Stark's journey isn't over yet, despite the apparent curtain call at the end.

I'd give IM3 a 8.5 out of 10, and rate it behind Avengers and IM1.

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Cherokeesam, I just made a long post responding back to you, but when I hid submit the thread was now closed and moved here.

I really do not want to retype it all over again, but I will retype my Iron Patriot criticsm.

I very much disagree with your statement that Iron Patriot did alot in this movie. Rhodey did alot, but not as Iron Patriot. I was really looking forward to him kicking ass as IP/War Machine. I am almost positive that he never fired a single weapon, threw a punch, kicked, or did much of anything while in a suit.

Cherokeesam, I just made a long post responding back to you, but when I hid submit the thread was now closed and moved here.

I really do not want to retype it all over again, but I will retype my Iron Patriot criticsm.

I very much disagree with your statement that Iron Patriot did alot in this movie. Rhodey did alot, but not as Iron Patriot. I was really looking forward to him kicking ass as IP/War Machine. I am almost positive that he never fired a single weapon, threw a punch, kicked, or did much of anything while in a suit.

I see what you're saying, and you're *half* right. Let's just say "Iron Patriot" sees a lot of action, but most of Rhodey's action took place *outside* the suit.

Shane Black did this as more of a Tony Stark character study than an actual superhero movie, I honestly believe that.

Well, he tried but kinda failed miserably because when you think about it the best part of Tonys arc was achieved in the avengers. He had gone from selfish partyboy in IM to down in the dumps in IM2 to selfsacrificing hero and team player in the Avengers.

I don't think a whole movie where they beat the dead horse that the man is the hero and not the suit was necessary. The suit helped him enter another dimension but the man made the choice, came up with the idea. It showed he was very resourceful. I mean, I wouldn't have thought of that. I would probably have diverted the nuke somewhere else in our own dimension or the ocean or something. From IM1 to the Avengers was a good solid arc for Tony.

Who is Tony Stark in IM3 ? A guy who proves how resourceful he is by making an electric glove, custom bombs and a nailgun, to storm a mansion in Miami. At least have him sort out the MK42 armor with the proverbial 'box of scraps' in Tennessee so that it works properly and proves to be his most formidable armor yet. All that was needed was a childs insight.

This shows a rediscovered fascination of his tinkering and talent for making the 'impossible' possible. Instead of him just randomly building 35 armors out of fear of the future, have him build/repair his Magnum Opus in a shed in Rose Hill Tennessee out of his love for building things. These are strong themes that really resonate with any kind of audience. We can root for such a character.

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I know I am coming off as negative, but that really isnt me. I am very disappointed in Iron Man 3 and really did not expect to feel this way. That being said, I very much welcome an Iron man 4 and still love my super hero movies. Next up is Man of Steel which looks incredible and I am not even a big superman guy. Cant wait

Saw it again. Just as good as the first time. Let me say it again--great action and great humor in a movie is rare. Iron Man 3 is the superhero equivalent to Beverly Hills Cop, Bad Boys, Die Hard with a Vengeance, or True Lies. I miss movies like this and that's why I love this movie so much.

Also let me say this--the political undertones of this movie are underrated. Far better than the hamfisted racial stuff in X-Men. Actually quite a bit more edgy than TDKR. It won't be credited as such but I think it is. A poor man's Dr. Strangelove in some ways. This entire franchise has used comedy to poke fun at American politics, War on Terror, military industrial complex, and foreign policy. We are still the good guys but there is plenty of subtle criticism. Not sure if alot of people caught that.

This will get me flamed but I enjoyed SM3 more than this movie. I was disappointed but entertained with SM3 (I couldn't care less about the treatment of Venom because I think that is a dumb character) but IM 3 flat out was making me angry.
For context I think SM3 is the best of the worst of 3rd superhero movies;
In no particular order
SM3
Superman 3 or SR
X3
Blade 3
Batman Forever
and now IM3

This will get me flamed but I enjoyed SM3 more than this movie. I was disappointed but entertained with SM3 (I couldn't care less about the treatment of Venom because I think that is a dumb character) but IM 3 flat out was making me angry.
For context I think SM3 is the best of the worst of 3rd superhero movies;
In no particular order
SM3
Superman 3 or SR
X3
Blade 3
Batman Forever
and now IM3

Trust me, give it some time...People will be overwhelmingly negative towards this film like SM3 after a while. Right now things are always rosy and people love almost every superhero film here

Also let me say this--the political undertones of this movie are underrated. Far better than the hamfisted racial stuff in X-Men. Actually quite a bit more edgy than TDKR. It won't be credited as such but I think it is. A poor man's Dr. Strangelove in some ways. This entire franchise has used comedy to poke fun at American politics, War on Terror, military industrial complex, and foreign policy. We are still the good guys but there is plenty of subtle criticism. Not sure if alot of people caught that.

Yeah, there's a strength of this too-- they dish out some political relevance without shoving it in our faces or preaching a big message. Just smaller details here and there that take little jabs and even praises. Contrary to what Mandarin says, subtlety wasn't thrown out the window for the franchise in that regard.

Trust me, give it some time...People will be overwhelmingly negative towards this film like SM3 after a while. Right now things are always rosy and people love almost every superhero film here

This is exactly what I'm thinking. I'm reading comments like 'my audience were eating up the gags', and 'everyone was laughing', well my audience were cracking up at the SM3 jokes as well.
This is a bad movie and if will be stunned if it ends its run at over 73% on the RT meter (it's already down to 77%). The more I think about the more I think the movie flat out sucks.

I booked two nights in a row IMAX (you have to book 3 months in advance) first night I saw the movie by myself, second night I had to go with my sister and I was really hoping she would call me and say she couldn't make it (because it was a midnight show) so I had to see IM3 twice because I had the tickets and my sister wouldn't be able to see the movie without me or I definitely would have skipped another viewing.